Keystone Financial Services Acquires 237 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Keystone Financial Services raised its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,374 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Keystone Financial Services’ holdings in Novartis were worth $718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning raised its stake in Novartis by 4.1% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 344,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,676,000 after buying an additional 13,486 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 5.8% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 6.1% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 6,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $789,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 159.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,185,000 after buying an additional 6,839 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 2,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $105.43 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $100.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.27. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a market cap of $215.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the subject of several research reports. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Profile

Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.